Media

HCM Strategists, one of the nation’s leading advocacy and public policy firms, today announced the launch of a new blog series exploring different issues facing the field of education following the COVID-19 pandemic. This new series is titled, “Addressing COVID-19 Concerns in Education,” and will identify emerging and necessary policies and practices across schools, institutions of higher education, federal and state government for postsecondary and K-12 education.

Every year around this time, the NCAA releases its list of 68 teams that will participate in the March Madness tournament. This year, the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Unfortunately, this year, fans around the country must forgo the ritual of analyzing team statistics, weighing defensive and offensive strengths or choosing their favorites based on mascots and team colors to build their brackets.

With schools shuttered and kids at home — some even asked to stay indoors — parents must now balance their work responsibilities with the educational needs of their children. But finding a place to start can prove downright daunting.

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests we may be winning the battle against cancer. But we will lose the war if we don’t do something about the rising cost of drugs in the United States.

Mental health conditions in the United States are widespread. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, almost 1 in 5 adults lives with a mental health condition. However, the stigma surrounding these conditions is a significant barrier for people seeking help.

I spent my early career in the theater and eventually went on to own a restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. A career advocating for the rights of patients had not occurred to me until two defining moments occurred in my life.

Clinical trials function more efficiently and produce better results when patients are engaged in the process. Increasingly, the industry is moving towards a patient-centric approach to clinical research and the design of trials. Reducing patient burden is a big part of this as it helps to boost recruitment and retention rates. But there is also value in engaging patients in the design of the trial itself.

The Face of Change series highlights individuals within this mosaic of impact, their unique contributions to our community, and motivations for supporting United Way. This month, meet Toya Barnes-Teamer, a Principal at HCM Strategists.

If the state of Utah is to revisit the goal or establish a new benchmark, the initiatives of other states and Utah’s own experience can help guide its way, said Jimmy Clarke, senior director of state policy with the education and health policy consulting firm HCM Strategists.

HCM Strategists, one of the nation’s leading healthcare advocacy, policy and engagement firms, today released a new in-depth policy brief addressing the shortage of mental health services on college campuses. This brief seeks to identify the major factors impacting the supply and demand framework around mental health services on campuses.

Valarie Clark, MPA previously worked for the American Association of Medical Colleges, Krista Forbes recently worked in community sustainability for ECO District Hampton Roads and Yuri Velasquez joins HCM from the Florida Department of Health. They bring their community engagement experience and health policy expertise to HCM working with the NIH’s All of Us Research Program.

For most families, paying for college means relying on some form of financial aid. Yet last year, 43% of high school seniors didn’t submit the one form required for nearly all types of student aid: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These students missed out on a stunning $24 billion in money for college.

“The theory behind outcomes-based funding is that it makes a direct alignment between the state’s finance policy and the state goals,” Scott Boelscher of HCM Strategists, a public policy firm, told the commission members. “… It has the ability to influence institution actions through financial incentives, is what springs to mind first, but also through awareness of state priorities and awareness of institutional performance. And it provides incentives to adopt and scale evidence based student success best practices.”

Washington, D.C. – HCM Strategists, one of the nation’s leading healthcare advocacy, policy and engagement firms, today announced that Cara Tenenbaum will be joining the staff as a Director for HCM’s Health Innovation practice. Cara is an expert healthcare policy analyst that specializes in women’s health, digital health and personalized medicine.

If states and schools are successful, they will significantly increase bachelor’s attainment rates for community college transfer students and take a major step toward improving opportunity for those often disadvantaged by our education system. If nothing is done, free community college may not turn out to be all that free — but a costly detour instead.

Author Liz Ross of HCM Strategists also references the Obama-era School Improvement Grant program, which researchers found largely unsuccessful. “Given the lessons learned from the SIG program, it is fair to ask: how can we be sure that districts will not continue to take the path of least resistance when provided with more flexibility under the law?” she writes.

When parents think their school is good and their child is fine academically, they focus their time and energy on other pressing issues. But in most places, there is a Grand Canyon-size gap between what parents are told about their children’s learning and what the school knows to be true.

The committee tasked with finding a CEO consisted of Algiers board members, in collaboration with HCM Strategists, and the organizations narrowed the pool of applicants from more than 50 to three last month.

HCM Strategists, one of the nation’s leading advocacy and public policy firms, today released a new paper titled, “The Equity Imperative,” outlining actions state education policymakers should take to remove barriers for underserved students and improve access to dual enrollment opportunities.

When Elizabeth Ross, the director of K-12 state policy at the consulting firm HCM Strategists, was working on a report published in November on school improvement work under ESSA and checked what state education department websites said about their school improvement practices, some of the sites hadn’t been updated since before ESSA passed.

New members include James S. “Jimmy” Clarke of Lafayette, a Louisiana State University graduate who used to be former Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s chief of staff and is now director of state policy for HCM Strategists, a health and education policy consulting firm.

HCM Strategists, one of the nation’s leading advocacy and public policy firms, today announced that Bobby Clark will be joining the staff full-time as a principal. Bobby is a renowned expert on a number of health policy issues, including the regulation of food, drugs, and medical devices, as well as biomedical research and development, health insurance reform, health care financing, and delivery system reform.

Author Liz Ross of HCM Strategists also references the Obama-era School Improvement Grant program, which researchers found largely unsuccessful. “Given the lessons learned from the SIG program, it is fair to ask: how can we be sure that districts will not continue to take the path of least resistance when provided with more flexibility under the law?” she writes.

HCM Strategists celebrated its 10th anniversary in D.C. this spring.The partners and staff were joined by former and current clients, influencers, policymakers, foundation members and leaders in health and education policy.

Fourteen national community groups and health care provider associations have partnered with the All of Us Research Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, to help raise awareness about the program.

Moderated by HCM Partner Terrell Halaska, this session will explore how higher education institutions can participate in the global movement led by Certified B Corporations to use business as a force for good.

They label it as “bipartisanship,” but many of the interest groups lobbying the rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are not focused on what is in the best interest of America’s students.

Kristin Hultquist (formerly Conklin) makes her case why it’s time to #FixFAFSA and allow millions of Americans the opportunity to easily apply for and receive timely, clear information about federal grants and loans for college.

In a time rife with political and social unrest around the world, Tunisian Assistant Professor and 2014 George W. Bush Women’s Initiative Fellow Emna Ben Mustapha Ben Arab and her mentor HCM Partner Terrell Halaska offer an important perspective on the future of international cooperation.

Teresa Lubbers, current Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education, talks about the strides that Indiana has made in higher education, specifically the evolutionary shift to fund colleges based on performance metrics.

In an article by Paul Fain of Inside Higher Ed, critics weigh in on the issue of performance funding and its risks. While some are still skeptical, they agree that the newly released HCM report is helpful.

In a U.S. News article summarizing the recent Senate hearing aimed to harness the issues surrounding No Child Left Behind and put a bipartisan bill reauthorizing ESEA on the floor, HCM Partner Terrell Halaska weighs in.

On January 7th, 2015 members of the Senate introduced the Financial Aid Simplification and Transparency Act, or FAST Act, a plan to dramatically simplify applying for and receiving student financial aid.

The College Demographic Revolution is Upon Us: Kristin Hultquist (formerly Conklin) and Terrell Halaska shine light on the growing numbers of non-traditional students failing to graduate from institutions.